Last wish
by fashh
Summary: They unexpectedly met in the forest. Now she is on the verge of dying and he gives her the right to choose one last wish. „Kiss me."


**Hello, dear readers and writers. This is some very old story of mine, but completely revised. It had been previously published on my last account I lost access to, but I hope you haven't read that story, and that you will enjoy this version better.**

-Somewhere in the forest-

She stopped running letting the exhauster painfully spread through her being. Her forehead was covered with tiny beads of sweat, gluing few delicately colored traces of hair to her flushed cheeks. Shivering, she brought her right hand on the rough bark of the nearby tree to support her doddered weight loosing balance. She furrowed her thinly shaped brows in confusion. Her left hand unconsciously travelled to her once wide forehead on its own. Her mind was flooded in numerous thoughts, working hard to find a solution to this unexpected situation she found herself in.

It was just supposed to be a relatively uncomplicated solo mission, unnecessarily S ranked, she thought. And it all went smoothly, without any unwanted surprises, until few moments ago. All those rumors flying around about the current residence of the man who betrayed his village, formed a new team, and set his mind to destroy his hometown and change the rest of the world, shuttered the moment she noticed the darkest hair she had ever seen, and the aura surrounding its owner even darker for the first time in a while.

She knew it was the wrong thing to do. The team whose only mission was to bring him home had been formed long time ago. She was returning from a fairly difficult mission, chakra depleted and exhausted more than her proud ego let her admit. Without any support, she was alone. None of the current circumstances was in her favor. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to peel her sight off the four cloaked figures that just passed nearby, but mostly the tall man leading them.

It couldn't hurt her if she just observed them for a while, she thought. For a brief second the possibility of running after him, shouting his name, and beginning him to let her join their team crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, remembering how it ended the last time. She swallowed hard remembering the closeness of death she felt realizing Sasuke's presence right behind her. Why this man couldn't ever face her properly when confronting her, she wondered.

Loosing trace of her thoughts, she let them distract her and her chakra flashed without her noticing it. It was short, but apparently enough for the red head, female member of the observed team to register someone with hidden chakra following them. She cursed herself for being so incautious. Tsunade taught her better.

After few moments, when nothing happened, she decided to take a quick peek behind her hood. Her gaze was met by flashing crimson red eyes. Standing in the middle of the busy crowd exploring the streets of the vigorous town, she was captivated by the mesmerizing sight of his powerful eyes. Realizing her mistake, she already foresaw what was to follow. So she disappeared in flash.

Regretting the inconvenience of being caught in such a tricky situation in the middle of civilian village, with no ninja in sight to back her up, she opted to get lost in the woods on the brim of the village. The plan was to reach the border as soon as possible, where she would be met by ninja guards of the Land of Fire. There, she would be safe.

Sakura hoped she was wrong. She desperately wanted to be wrong. But there was no point in denying the obvious.

"Sasuke"

Her voice echoed through the silence of the cold, dark forest, and his presence filled her vision. She sensed his scent that breeze lightly brought to her side overwhelming her nostrils and completely blurring her mind.

She heard a very silent, but so familiar "Hn" as a response coming from the person in the shadows. She let the chills his voice produced play on the surface of her sweaty skin. His voice changed so much. It was much deeper, slightly husky for its deepness. Cocky, as the Uchiha himself.

This was all so bad. She could practically see her guard crumbling down in front of him, because of him. She tried so hard to gather her thoughts and get ready for the impact that succeeded, but it has all been in vain. The only person she was losing her recollection to, was the same person who motivated and lead all her efforts and strengths.

It was too much…his voice, his scent, his partly hidden, seductive eyes…

She was in life threatening situation, and the only thing she could think of were all those confusing, maddening spikes of lust twirling inside her stomach.

She sensed his body suddenly shifted and appeared behind her, she noticed by the cold breeze it brought with itself. She stayed calm and peaceful, her figure unmoving, but her brain was rushing a strategy. 'So close' was the thought that disturbed her mind all over again. The warmth of his body brought her distraction. His chakra brought her light sense of fear. It was the Sasuke she'd never felt before, but it felt just as she expected he would feel like. She imagined other tiny details of his appearance that had changed through time. Sasuke Uchiha has never left her mind for even once in these past nine years.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his low, husky voice demanding an answer.

"Mission." She kept it short for she was afraid how weak she may sound at the moment. She let her hands fall to her sides and silently, weary sway. No matter what, she won't go down without a fight.

The sound of wind warned her to his movements and, as quickly as possible, she spun around and her chakra empowered fist hit the tree right next to her. He jumped back as the tree landed between them, his katana shining fiercely in his arms.

Powerful sparks of Chidori stormed through his blade and he charged at her. She carefully let him take a strike, and as soon as his blade made contact with her flesh, she quickly used substitution jutsu.

"C'mon. I heard you were better than that." He gritted through his teeth, sounding bloodthirsty, eager to fight the great Hokage's apprentice the whole world was talking about. It was truly as if someone took over his form. Sakura couldn't recognize him, and she was even beginning to wonder if there was anyone who could reach out to the boy she once knew.

She stayed quietly, successfully masking her chakra, observing him from the highs of a nearby tree. As soon as she estimated it was the right moment, she attacked from the above. She gathered all of the chakra she had left in her gloves, preparing for the contact with his katana. He swiftly turned, detecting the direction she was charging from. Sparks of the clash of opposite chakras exploded. Lethal red collided with lively, breathtaking green. His body leaned in, towards her, forcing more pressure to their contact. He could feel her strength slowly betraying her, as her feet slithered backwards, wavering. He smirked. Black marks of last reserves of her stored chakra disappeared from her forehead, and she closed her eyes feeling her body completely losing the battle against her opponent.

He used her final surrender to intensify his push. Her feet made traces in the ground resembling a muddy trench, as her back hit hard against the trunk of a tree. She soundlessly winced in pain. Sasuke pressed the glade of his sward on the inviting piece of skin on her neck.

His whole body was pressed against hers, holding her slightly above the ground, as she tried to mingle beneath his strong grip. She could feel his short breaths on her face. She wasn't afraid to die by his hand, but it was something so frightening in his eyes, it made her too scared to open her eyes again.

"I could kill you easily…"

His voice hypnotized her, and she immediately opened her previously tightly shut eyes, completely forgetting her fears, seemingly unaware of the meaning of his words. She just wanted to listen to his voice some more and get lost in it. He locked their gazes and got lost in the whirlpools of emerald shades for a second. He detected no fear. He was surprised.

"Go ahead." Her tone sounded emotionless. She knew what was going to happen, it was just the matter of time. But she preferred not to prolong the moment anymore. She found it so hard to watch the man she loved the most being lost and consumed by an unknown force, stronger and dangerous way more than his usual thirst for vengeance.

"Shouldn't you be afraid?" he couldn't strain himself from asking. In a few minutes she'll be dead anyway, so he thought it would be no harm if he gave in to his curiosity. Nobody will ever know about the day that Sakura Haruno died fearlessly by Uchiha Sasuke's hand.

"No. Don't you know that love is courageous?" She answered boldly, fighting for some air under his tightening grip. She felt his katana on her neck slowly retrieving. She let a silent sigh.

She and this new, unfamiliar behavior of hers annoyed him more than ever. Why wasn't she afraid? Why wasn't she afraid for her life? Why wasn't she begging him to take her with him? And why is she responding him this way? Nobody talks to an Uchiha like that, especially not the weak Sakura he grew up with.

"You're weak." He screeched, failing to voice his determination. The truth is he, himself, wasn't convinced in that statement as everything about her was new to him.

"Still stronge-er…than you-u'll ever be-ee..." she hissed back as he forcefully pressed his glade making her gasp for air once again. He knew she wasn't talking about physical and fighting strength. It was her last chance to show him how much she changed for him, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she can get through him, even if for one last time, before she lets out her last breath. It was her last attempt to prove him her love was honest and real, but most of all, it's permanent and undying.

He dropped his katana, letting it get mixed with the dirt on the ground. He gripped her neck with his bare hands. She provoked him. In an instant, the silkiness of her soft and sensitive skin got him addicted to her touch, and he found himself gripping tightly, but stopped as she let out small choking coughs.

Sakura Haruno, the weakest of them all, was wining a mental battle against Sasuke Uchiha, despite not being able to stand properly on her own two feet from overwhelming exhauster.

He allowed his arm to leave her neck and he backed away slightly, eyes pinned to the ground. He hid his face beneath his midnight colored hair, turning it away from her, so she couldn't witness tints of regret and doubt burning inside. She thought he was plotting the most suitable possible way to end her finally.

She took a step towards him which made him activate his Sharingan immediately, but he didn't move. She noticed, but she confidently took another small step closer to him. This time, his crimson red pools were penetrating straight through her green ones, as Chidori sparks from his left arm echoed through their lonely surroundings.

She couldn't help but notice how symbolic this seemed for their entire relationship. She was always the one who couldn't keep her guard up around him, and he was always the one who held his guard up the most around her. They were each other's perfectly invincible and unforgettable distractions. They were two lonely halves of a whole.

' _Even you couldn't convince Sasuke, right?_ ' Shikamaru's words played in her mind remembering how lost she was feeling that day standing on the outskirts of Konoha, feeling more than afraid that Sasuke had left the night before, and terrified that Naruto was leaving also, to bring him back though.

But this time, she knew she was wearing the power to change everything. She was so close to succeeding and she felt it as the rush of excitement overwhelmed her. She smiled faintly but sincerely, and she took his right hand in hers. He was taken by surprise with her actions. His Chidori lightning died down, his eyes suddenly changed color back to black. His vision was filled with only their tangled fingers and skin gently caressing. She placed her other palm on top of his, so she was protectively holding his hand between both of hers. Her index finger made slow, unnoticeable, swift motions tracing an invisible circle on his skin. He relaxed. They both secretly enjoyed warm and slightly sweaty touch that made chills running through their trembling bodies.

"I love you."

She whispered, starring right into his darkness filled eyes. He stared back. She felt naked and exposed standing in front of him like this, offering him nothing but few strong emotions, and signs of her vulnerability to him as proof of those feelings.

Sasuke observed. He doubted. His thoughts battled and opposed. After all this time, he thought they got over that story. But, it seems nothing had actually changed since then, except their demeanor. But then again, he wondered, it must've always been there somewhere inside. He had always inclined to darkness because of his consuming hatred filled obsession for revenge. And she had always been this strong, maybe. It took her some time to find the right path to that hidden strength and reveal it. But he had always been suspecting that it existed. In the past he witnessed a few occasional crumbs of might she unconsciously left behind. It was annoying what she was doing to him right now, but he didn't have the will to pronounce it. This time he'll make it different. He'll make her understand that she's being delusional, that no one could love him. He'll make his doubts go away by filling her with uncertainty. Everything has been a mistake this entire time – she has never loved him. Annoying fangirl.

"Why? Why do you love me after all I did to you, Naruto, Konoha…? You have never had a single reason to love me." He blankly stated. It stung him to say those words, though. The thought about killing her resurfaced. It was the most suitable way out of this uncomfortable situation, he thought.

She gently and sincerely smiled, tints of sadness exuding her eyes. She slowly led his hand, still nestled lovingly between her palms, so slowly, so that he doesn't back away. She finally planted it on top of her chest, slightly above her heart.

"It wasn't my choice to make." Her words and actions suggested it was beyond her will, it was her heart's choice. She didn't bother pretending it was anything other than what it is. Pure, unreserved love, the strongest kind of love that ever existed.

And for the first time in his life Sasuke Uchiha was left speechless.

Last Uchiha heir found himself on an unknown terrain. This wasn't a proclamation of love, desperate plea for acceptance, or anything other he was used to hearing from her. It was a simple statement. He caught the deepness of her message carrying nothing but honest loyalty. She gave her complete being to his existence, without regrets, finding her truest strength in emotions she cherished for him.

The great amount of obligation to apologize for who he was, for whom he had been trying to be while fighting for what he thought was right, made her words and actions more than unbearable for him. The bitter feeling of regret crept up his spine. He couldn't take any of this anymore.

He pinned her to the tree once again, this time holding a kunai against her neck, ready to end the life of the greatest kunoichi of all times in just one swift motion.

"Any last words?" he asked sarcastically, bringing back the act he played when they firstly met. He couldn't allow her to get that easily through his shelter. Not now, when he was about to end her for good.

"Can I have one last wish instead?" her eyes dropped to the ground in slightly evident disappointment.

He gave her his approval, voicing a silent "Hn."

"Kiss me."

"…" his eyes widened. Her unexpected words caught him completely off guard. He expected some speech about forgiveness, the valuable bond he developed to Naruto and how he cannot let it vanish. Yet he found himself utterly startled as he was captured in her intense gaze. This was probably the only universe in which the green could conquer the black.

"You heard me. Kiss me. Nobody will know." She almost gave away something that resembled the famous Uchiha smirk. But she couldn't be mocking him, could she?

He struggled with his decision few moments longer than he wished he had.

Maybe it was all because of given circumstances, but the sudden urge to fulfill her wish was blooming inside of him with unrelenting power. His breath hitched, she knew he was troubled by her request. She seductively, yet innocently licked her lips inviting him. It became unbearable and he gave up resisting.

Too fast for both of them to even register what happened, he closed the space that divided them. The very first impression his mind received was how soft her lips were. Their cotton gentleness and slight wetness almost made him wonder if he was touching her at all. He just pressed their lips tight together and stayed enjoying the collision with her softness. Their noses were pressed against each other, tickling one another with their short, warm and excited breaths. She closed her eyes tightly, brushing his cheeks with her long lashes.

His lips started moving on hers. He hungrily, yet carefully nibbled her bottom lip. Her lips parted further apart, and he used the opportunity to enjoy more of her addictive taste. The tip of his tongue explored aggressively the sweet taste lingering on her tongue, and played with the delicacy of her palate.

With one quick movement he threw the kunai he previously held against her neck, hammering him to the trunk somewhere far away. His hands eagerly cupped her chin, his fingers lightly fondling her flushed cheeks. He leaned his head to the side and immediately gained himself better access. His heart beat faster, dancing to the muffled sounds of her moans of passion. His teeth rested on her lips as he smirked into the kiss. He lastly cupped her both lips with his, pulling her bottom lip slightly away, as he leaned back, and finally broke the touch.

His palms still held her cheeks, and as he placed his forehead to rest on hers, he huskily spoke, his breath tingling her parted lips.

"You didn't kiss me back." Tint of victory echoed through his voice. He teased her, enjoying the sight of blushing girl who still tried to regain her composure. Her fingers were still strongly gripping his shirt, while resting on his hard, broad chest. His tall form was completely towering the petite, lean figure shaped girl, lost in the fantasies.

"I wanted to feel you kissing me, to give myself the illusion of your reciprocated love, like I have desired all these years. I wanted to know how it would feel if you never left. Just once, before I die."

She blinked letting one small, glossy tear escape the edges of her truthfully smiling eyes. He swallowed hard at her words. She peacefully closed her eyes again, speaking for the last time.

"Now, you may kill me." She let her hands fall to her side, feeling the cold air breezing and mocking her lonely skin as she created the small space between them. She licked her lips once again, tasting Sasuke for the last time. She was ready to leave this world in all glory this boy brought her with just one kiss.

Few moments passed, she still felt his breath on her face, his forehead resting on her own.

Nothing was happening. He must be very conflicted now, she imagined, the kiss must've meant to him something too. The sensuality and care his lips surprised her with almost made her feel loved. She wanted to thank him for it, but she knew he didn't do it for her.

Still nothing. She wondered if, perhaps, he had changed his mind. But no, that doesn't look like Sasuke. She waited patiently. She hoped he would do it painlessly, but it didn't matter anymore. She was going to die contently.

Still nothing. She slowly opened her eyes and found him looking straight into the bridge of her nose, his eyes hid a tint of sadness, she noticed. Maybe she saw wrong. Maybe she only wished she saw his eyes saddened and teary.

But she didn't. She observed and she quickly got lost in onyx orbs. The images of his thoughts and feelings were almost visibly playing in front of her. She read him like an open book, but she couldn't tell what he would do next.

She smiled. His confusion and the doubt he fought against meant to her a lot more than he would've ever imagined. In his eyes she recognized the old Sasuke she once knew, by whose side she once battled, the same Sasuke she once battled for.

Sasuke let out a deep breath. He took her hand in his palm, covering her small hand completely with his own, and took a deep, meaningful look straight into the cheerful pupils of her wonderfully shaded eyes.

"Take me home."

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Please, leave a review. Not only it motivates the writer to create more, but it also helps in personal improvement.**

 **Any kind of suggestion is welcome.**

 **Love,**

 _ **fashh**_


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